A small army of highly sophisticated research vehicles has been unleashed on the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan. No, these vehicles aren’t armored or carrying surveillance equipment – in fact, it’ll probably be impossible to tell them apart from the other mini-vans, trucks, and hatch-backs vying for position at the red light. What these “connected cars” will do is use Wifi to silently transmit information to transponders located on the state and city’s traffic infrastructure equipment. Researchers say this type of technology helps them better understand infrastructure and traffic flow, which could reduce traffic , accidents, and even pollution in the future. Read the rest of Michigan Deploys 300 WiFi-Connected ‘Talking’ Cars to Help Prevent Traffic Jams Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: car accidents , connected cars , connected vehicles , driving habits , safety , traffic , university of michigan , US Department of Transportation

Comments Off on “Sprout” is a Pencil that You Can Plant To Grow Herbs and Vegetables

Writers and poets dream that words could blossom from their pencils like gardens in springtime. Now they can literally bloom with “ Sprout ,” the pencil from Democratech that you can plant. By scrapping the eraser and replacing it with a water-activated seed capsule, the end of a pencil marks the beginning of a vegetable, flower, or herb garden. Designed around a classic Ticonderoga cedar body, the Sprout is a fun way to reconnect with nature and a great green reward for finishing a stack of homework. Read the rest of “Sprout” is a Pencil that You Can Plant To Grow Herbs and Vegetables Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: cedar , democratech , eraser , garden , kickstarter , mario bollini , MIT , pencil , simon & garfunkel , Sprout , ticonderoga , water-activated seed capsule

Comments Off on Shanghai is the Most Vulnerable Major City in the World To Serious Flooding

Photo via Shutterstock A joint report from University of Leed’s School of Civil Engineering and Dutch authorities reveals that in a new study of nine coastal cities around the world, Shanghai is the most vulnerable to serious flooding. In fact, according to a new method to calculate the flood vulnerability of cities, those in Europe top the leader board for their resilience. Read the rest of Shanghai is the Most Vulnerable Major City in the World To Serious Flooding Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: coastal cities , flood index , flood risk rating , global flooding , Netherlands , shanghai , shanghai flooding , university of leed’s school of civil engineering , university of leeds